Two issues relating to the South African Police Service (Saps) caught my eye.
The first was reports that the person who had posted photoshopped pornographic images of the President and Police Minister on social media platforms had been traced and arrested.
This a mere two weeks after the incident.
In fact the culprit, despite being a resident of KwaZulu-Natal, was traced and arrested in Gauteng.
What this is showing to me is that capacity and ability exists within Saps if properly directed.
My worry is that this capacity and urgency seems to be only evident when high profile (read political or politically connected) victims are involved.
This is reinforcing the perception that there is one justice and policing system for the ‘haves’ and another for the ‘have nots’
The second was the scale and strategic deployment of resources nationwide in response to the EFF’s ‘Shutdown’ in March.
There was clearly a high level of planning and coordination between the various agencies and local policing structures and the appropriate use of available staff and equipment
It may never be known whether the fact that the ‘shutdown’ was generally deemed to be a ‘damp squib’ was due to the measured action of Saps and other security structures, or the failure of the EFF to garner sufficient public support.
What is known is that the security forces, led by Saps, can execute on their mandates if they put their minds to it.
While this might not herald a ‘new dawn’ for Saps and its relationship with the populace, it is evidence of encouraging signs of what could be achieved if police management start marshalling and managing the massive resources they have to hand in an apolitical, ethical and judicious manner.
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